– Coffin Project to Benefit the San By Surihe Gaomas WINDHOEK Burying a beloved one in a respectable way portrays the love that one had for the deceased and it is part of cultural norms in African societies. Yet compared to the olden days, funerals have now become very expensive. The price of coffins results in the bereaved having to dig deeper into their pockets when purchasing caskets. While for some people, this act of buying a decent coffin can be easy through an insurance policy, the vast majority of the unemployed and poverty-stricken San people in Namibia are not so fortunate. Besides being marginalised and gripped by poverty, the way in which San families bury their dead today touched the heart of the Deputy Prime Dr Libertina Amathila during her numerous visits to the San communities in the country. “It really hurts me to see that still today in our independent Namibia some San people are being buried in plastic bags or left in mortuaries for a long time, until their families collect money to afford a funeral for them,” said Amathila. “One cannot blame these families, as they are not in a position to afford even a meal for themselves, let alone a burial for a family member,” she explained. As part of her ongoing San Development Programme, Amathila decided to do something about this unfortunate situation in order to make sure that San people can also be provided with dignified burials, instead of being buried in plastic bags. She wants decent burials in which the San are not forced to bury their dead in plastic bags, but in proper coffins. “Nobody wants to see a family member buried in plastics,” she added. This scenario ultimately gave rise to the San Coffin Manufacturing Project in the Otjozondjupa Region, after government allocated some funds to contract a local funeral equipment wholesaler Polyflora Namibia, as a pilot project to train the first group of five San trainees in coffin manufacturing for a period of two months. Officiating at the San graduation ceremony in Windhoek last week, Amathila said something positive has come out of the training in view of the San Development Programme. “I call upon regional councillors to make sure that we empower the San people. This programme is specifically meant for San people, as government felt that they need a special programme which will fast track their integration into the economic mainstream,” she said. The new graduates from the Otjozondjupa Region are Juda Kazonganga, Christiaan Tjohokuru, Moses Mandume, Fritz Garab and Steven Rudolf. They all underwent a two-month training course in making coffins and spray-painting at Polyflora Namibia. In addition, the programme also covered a wide range of topics such as basic safety rules, safety in the workshop, basic first aid, the toolkit and working with equipment. At the same occasion Chief Executive Officer of Polyflora Namibia, Piet Blaauw, said the success of the coffin manufacturing project will for long be remembered by the San community in the Otjozondjupa Region, especially by looking at the graduates’ achievements today. “I remember when they came here the first day, they knew nothing about coffin manufacturing or spray painting and when I look at the coffins that stand here outside today, which they have completed the last few days, I am very proud to see that they have succeeded in what they came here for,” said Blaauw. Polyflora Namibia is a wholesale supplier of funerary equipment and manufactures a wide range of coffins, caskets and domes for the local market. The graduates are expected to plough back their skills into their communities by starting their own coffin making projects with support from the Regional Council, the Office of the Prime Minister and other private partners. In view of this, Dr Amathila encouraged the graduates to do just that. “This is an opportunity many other young Namibians are dreaming of and you must grab it with both hands. Please work hard, go and produce what you have learned to encourage other young people that they too can do it,” she said. At the end of the graduation ceremony, each trainee received a tool kit, start-up materials, complete coffin panels and a table saw with laser. The Otjozondjupa Regional Council received 15 coffins, which were made during the training for distribution to San families who cannot afford a coffin for their loved ones. These coffins will be handed out on the criteria and procedures determined by councillors and traditional leaders. The Omaheke Region is next in line to benefit from the San Coffin Manufacturing Project. The project will later be expanded to all the 13 regions.